McCain, Go Real Time

« Where McCain Could Start with Conservatives

by Sean Hackbarth

I’m in a generous mood. I’ve heard rumors that Sen. John McCain’s campaign is still hurting for money. Going into Super Tuesday that’s puts him at a serious disadvantage to the very rich Mitt Romney.

Sure, McCain lives off of the kindness of reporters and free media. He also has momentum, but it’s not just about advertising. Without enough money McCain won’t be able to make as many robo-calls and organize a solid GOTV program across the 21 Super Tuesday states. Romney can do that.

What should McCain do? Slap a fundraising counter on his website with a goal. $10 million by Feb. 5 seems doable assuming a lot of Republicans are moving towards him as the front runner.

By putting up a real time fundraising counter McCain would take advantage of what Rep. Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, and my former boss Fred Thompson did. The counter turns fundraising into a video game. Supporters will give $10, $20, even $1000 just to see the numbers change. Immediate feedback will drive donors to give more, get their friends and family to give, and inspire them to think up creative fundraising schemes. I seriously doubt Paul’s money bombs would have amounted to anything without the real time counter on his website.

Imagine the story if McCain’s supporters manage to raise $10 million online by Super Tuesday. That will reinforce the notion that he’s the GOP front runner. Super Tuesday voters would take that sense of inevitability and make Romney’s effort to take the nomination that much harder.

“Transparent Fundraising“

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 6:23 pm and is filed under 2008 Presidential Race, eCampaign. You can trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “McCain, Go Real Time”

Sure. Fine. Help him. Make things worse . . .

Posted by Attila Girl on January 31st, 2008

Dude - get real. Whoever you heard those rumors from regarding McCain money woes is not telling you the truth.

Posted by Leon Anne on January 31st, 2008

Leon, McCain’s been running on fumes since his campaign imploded last summer. Ron Paul gloated how he outraised him. I haven’t seen evidence that McCain’s swimming in cash. None of the GOP candidates remaining have much unless Romney opens his wallet again.

But we’ll know soon enough with the release of the FEC reports.

Attila Girl, I actually have an applicable skill. I have to flaunt it when I can.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth on January 31st, 2008

With due respect to your skill set, Sean, such a counter doesn’t seemed to have helped Paul, Hucksterby, nor Thompson, much: Paul is (always has been) a freak-fringe bit and non-starter, Huckster has lost his luster (prediction: slaughtered on SuperTues), and Fred is dead. Even the machines behind NYRoody couldn’t keep him propped up.

It ain’t the money that energizes the base, it’s the ideas/philosophy and, most importantly, how such is articulated. You score big in that arena and the money follows, not the other way around. (Note that the $30-mill spent by NYRoody in Florida served only to hasten his exit.)

I’m sorry,but if you are dependent on people who’s thrill in life comes from watching an odometer, I think you are in trouble to begin with.

And finally…

“That will reinforce the notion that he’s the GOP front runner.”

… Big Media does that, not funds raised.

Keep in mind: McCain beat GW by 16 points in New Hampshire in 2000. This year he beat Romney by… what?… 4/5/6 points?… which Big Media (and McCain hisself) declared “a comeback”.

ya-huh. Right.

True, Bush clobbered McCain in Florida in 2000 (think: Jeb), but a 6 point McCain win this year cannot in any way suggest that the current race is over/done/booked… whatever Big Media says.

Posted by MjM on January 31st, 2008

[…] Now is as good a time for McCain to slap a real-time money counter on his website. […]

Posted by John McCain’s Money Troubles » The American Mind on February 25th, 2008

[…] During this next stretch of contests Obama and Clinton will get MSM and blogosphere attention because that’s the last race remaining. McCain will need to make news and contrast himself with both Democrats, and he has to do that while building a national campaign organization and fundraise (that latter would be easier if they implemented the number one eCampaign innovation this cycle). […]

Posted by Obama-Clinton Battle Not Necessarily a Bad Thing » The American Mind on March 5th, 2008